Fountain fixture cooled by forced air circuit



March 23, 1948. E. E. WI LSON FOUNTAIN FIXTURE COOLED BY FORCED AIR CIRCUIT z Sheets-Sheet 1 I Filed Jan. 11, 1944 E fnvenl'or mer E Wilson- March 23, 1948. E, w s o I 2,438,355

FOUNTAIN FIXTURE COOLED BY FORCED AIR CIRCUIT Filed Jan. 11, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lllf/l/V/ll/l/l/l/ Invenior V Emez' F 3. 17

"' 'Atzam e Patented Mn. :3, 194a 2,438,355 rovn'ram m'rtma coon-2n BY roncan am. cmcm'r Emery E. Wilson, Portland, Oreg. Application January 11, 1944, Serial No. 517,825

12 Claims. 1

My invention relates to fountain fixtures and. particularly, to those known to the trade as sodafountains which normally are provided with relatively fiat, waist-high, holders for ice cream and the like, and fronts extending vertically therefrom defining a service rail and an obliquely disposed syrup rail lying intermediate the service rail and the holders. The syrup rail is adapted to removably support a series of syrup Jars, which are made of a heavy ceramic material. It is essential that said holders be kept cold, and yet they must be readily removable and must be kept clean. Various arrangements have been provided for cooling them, but in many instances the cooling means tends to promote the formation of frost deposits, which tend to lock, or wedge them in place. Also, the fountain fixture and, particularly, the areas around said syrup jars collect a good deal of moisture. which not only tends to promote frost and ice deposits, but, also, tends to defeat sanitation. Inasmuch as the syrup jars contain foodstufis, it is essential that sanitary conditions be maintained.

I have discovered that all of these desirable features may be attained by directing a cold blast of relatively dryair over said syrup containers. The coldness of the air tendsto promote refrigeration, and the dryness of the air tends to absorb any free moisture. That is, the cold air is less than one hundred per cent humid, and, thus, is moisture-thirsty. Thus, any free moisture is picked up by the air by evaporation and carried away bythe stream thereof. In most fountain fixtures the area immediately below the service rail is a void, and, thus, by partitioning the area under the service rail from the area around the syrup jars, I have been enabled to devise conduits for directin efliciently, the flow of cold air about said syrup jars without adding to the size of a standard fountain fixture.

My present application for patent is intended as a continuation, in part, of my co-pending application for patent entitled Soda fountain refrigeration, filed March 22, 1943, Serial No. 480,083, now abandoned.

The details of my invention are hereinafter descrbed in greater detail and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a fountain fixture embodying my invention, portions thereof being shown broken away to disclose details of construction and operation thereof;

Fig. 2 is a foreshortened, longitudinal section through said fixture, taken substantially on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through said fixture. taken substantially on the lines 3-3 in Figs. 1 and 2, respectively.

A fountain fixture I embodying my invention preferably is of the type which is substantially L-shaped in section, as is shown most clearly in Figs. 1 and 3. The lower portion la. is substantially square in section and provide with a fiat top lb. A series of apertures are formed in said top, each covered by a removable or liftable lid lc. Each of said lids covers a space in which ice cream or other material may be held in a refrigerated condition. Extending along the customer side of said fixture isa vertically extending portion 2, the upper surface being flat and constituting a service rail 3: Lying intermediate said service rail and the lower portion is a syrup rail 4. This extends obliquely to the service rail 3 and the fiat top lb of the holders. At one end of the said fountain fixture there is normally provided a compartment 5, in which bottles and other containers may be stored. Substantially all of the interior of said fountain fixture is adapted to maintain cold, and suitable refrigeration (not shown) is ordinarily provided for this purpose. To this refrigeration mechanism I add a cooling coil 6 in compartment 5 and arrange a fan, or blower, I at one side thereof, so that the air discharged from said fan is directed through the cooling coil to reduce'the temperature of said air.

Extending under the syrup rail, and longitudinally of the fixture, I arrange a triangularshaped conduit 8, into which air is directed from said fan through a header 9. The wall of said a conduit, facing the syrup rail, is provided with a series of spaced perforations Ill, so that air directed through said conduit may be released at spaced intervals to flow towards and around the syrup jars .ll, removably supported in the syrup rail. It is to be noted that said syrup jars are supported adjacent their mouths, or their necks, as is shown most clearly in Fig. 3, and that the sides and bottoms thereof are spaced from the supporting structures. Thus, the extension of the fiat top lb, the oblique portion 8a of the conduit 8, andthe interior surface of the top and side of the syrup rail might be said to define a passageway l2, extending longitudinally of the fixture and surrounding the alined syrup jars in the syrup rail. .The syrup jars have tops Ila, which overlie the openings in the syrup rail. Said tops seal theseopenings when the syrup jars are arranged in place.

Extending along one side of the bottle compartment I is a funnel-shaped conduit I 3, and

said funnel-shaped conduit leads from passageway It to the interior of compartment Thus, as is shown in Figs. 1 and2, air is discharged by the fan 1 through the cooling coil 8, into the header 9, lengthwise of the conduit 8, and then back, flowing lengthwise of the passageway l2, through the funnel-shaped conduit l3, and discharging into compartment 5-th complete circuit. Predetermined quantities of air are released through perforations Id directly into passageway It.

To vary the amount of air: flowing through said passageway by providing alternate paths, I provide an aperture i4, adapted to be opened and closed by a slide i! arranged in guides. l5a. Said aperture is arranged at the end of conduit 8 most distant from header 9. I, also, provide an aperture l6, adapted to be opened and closed by slide l1, supported by guides I'Ia in the header 9, arranged adjacent cooling coil 8. Thus, if aperture I6 is uncovered, air discharged from the fan, or blower, T will be directed through aperture i6, and it will be returned directly out into compartment 5. Some, however, will be directed through the header 9, conduit 8, passageway i2, and conduit l3 to follow the circuitous path previously described. Thus, by adjusting the apertures l4 and It, the .pressure and volume of air directed past the syrup jars may be closely controlled.

As I have heretofore pointed out, it is necessary not-only to cool the air, and, thus, the syrup jars with which said air comes in contact, but,

also, it is necessary to reduce the humidity thereof, so that the air passing said syrup jars is moisture-thirsty and will absorb, pick up and carry away any free moisture which would otherwise produce unsanitary conditions, frost or ice deposits. This is accomplished by arranging a drip pan l8 immediately below the cooling coil 6. Inasmuch as the air is coldest as it leaves the cooling coil, it is compressed to its smallest compass,

, and this tends to produce condensation at this point if the air in" the compartment 5 is originally relatively humid. This is the usual case, because the bottles contain soft drinks, and the like, and

usually the floor Ia of the compartment is wet, more or less. I

It is common practice to provide a drain IS in said floor, by which moisture on said floor will flow through a water trap 20 and out to a waste system. I arrange a downspout 2|, so that it is in vertical alinement with said drain, and, thus, any moisture flowing into the drip pan I 8 will flow into said drain, and, thus, be removed. Most refrigeration is thermostatically controlled, so that a predetermined temperature will be maintained. I, thus, contemplate providing thermostatically operated control mechanism (not shown), so that when the syrup jars are cooled to a predetermined degree the blower and coil will not serve further to circulate cool air through the conduits. The moisture condensed from the air by said fan blowing air over said cooling coils tends, in operation, to form frost deposits on the cooling coil. During the 011" cycles, these frost deposits melt, and the moisture flows from the drip pan through the downspout into the drain. Thus, .air, after it has been chilled by passing over the cooling coil, will heat up by heat transfer somewhat as it passes through the endless cirus, making a cuit defined by header 8, conduit 8, passageway I 2, funnel-shaped passageway i3, and compartment 6,; and it will expand and, thus, be somewhat less than one hundred per cent humid. My experience has been that heat transfer/and change in relative humidity coincide, somewhat, and, thus, when the air is to be recirculated by the fan, it has performed its dual function of refrigeration and moisture absorption; and, thus,

when the fan and coil are again actuated, the

cycle of cooling and dehydration is timely and effective.

It is to be noted that the perforations it are smallest adjacent header 8 and largest adiacent aperture ll. These are predetermined to permit substantially equal volumes of air to flow through each of said perforations. That is, air is maintained at a higher pressure adjacent header 9 and at a lower pressure at the opposite end of conduit 8. Thus, the cross-sectional area of said perforations is larger adjacent the latter end to compensate for the diminishment in air pressure at said point.

I claim:

1. In a fountain fixture, the combination of a syrup rail, a storage compartment, a cold air circulating means having an air inlet communieating with said compartment, an air duct having communication with said cold air circulating means for distributing cold air to the syrup rail, and an air return duct placing the syrup rafl in communication with said compartment, said air duct comprising one wall of said syrup rail and having a plurality of air passing perforations of progressively larger diameters away from the point of communication between said cold air' circulating means and the air duct.

2. In a fountain fixture, the combination of a syrup rail, a storage compartment, a cold air circulating means having an air inlet communicating ,with said compartment, an air duct having communication with said means for distributing cold air to the syrup rail, an air return placing the syrup rail in communication with said compartment, and an air gate means for selectively controlling the movement of cold air to said air duct and recirculating cold-air in .said compartment.

3. In a fountain fixture, the combination of a syrup rail, a storage compartment, a cold air circulating means having an air inlet communicating with said compartment, an air duct having communicationwith said means for distributing cold air to the syrup rail, an air return placing the syrup rail in communication with said compartment, said air duct being provided with air passing openings and having its communication with said means at one end of the air duct, and an air gate means at the other end of the air duct for controlling the movement of cold air through said openings.

' 4. In a fountain fixture, having a storage compartment and a syrup rail, the combination therewith of a conduit defining a closed path for air, opening into said storage compartment, one course ofsaid path extending lengthwise of said syrup rail, a fan for producing circulation of air along said closed path, and cooling coils for cooling said air and removing moisture therefrom, a discharge vent underlying said coils leading outwardly from said closed path for discharging condensate collected upon said cooling coils from the circulation of air passing along said closed path whereby air flowing along said path of said air circulation means is first cooled and dehydrated before being directed along said path, thereby to inhibit the condensation of moisture or the formation of frost in the course leading through said syrup rail. I

5. In a fountain fixture, having a storage compartment and a syrup rail, the combination therewith of a conduit defining a closed path for air, opening into said storage compartment, one course of said path extending lengthwise of said syrup rail, a fan for producing circulation of air along said closed path, and cooling coils for cooling said air and removing moisture therefrom, a discharge vent underlying said coils leading outwardly from said closed path for discharging condensate collected upon said cooling coils from the circulation of air passing along said closed path said cooling means being arranged immediately adjacent the discharge side of said air circulation means, whereby air flowing along said path is first cooled and dehydrated before being directed along said path, thereby to-inhibit the condensation of moisture or the formation of frost in the course leading through said syrup rail.

6. In a fountain fixture, having a storage compartment and a syrup rail, the combination therewith of a conduit defining a closed path for air,

syrup rail, a storage compartment, cold air circulating means including afan in said compartment, refrigerating coils arranged adjacent the point of discharge from said fan and a ventleading exteriorly from said compartment for d15- charging condensate collected upon said coils, said cold aircirculating means having an air inlet communicating with said compartment, an air duct having communication with said cold air circulating means for distributing cold and dehydrated air to the syrup rail, and an air return duct placing the syrup rail in communication with said compartment, said air duct defining a wall structure of the syrup rail and having perforations extending through said wall structure.

10. In a fountain fixture, the combination of a syrup rail, a-storage compartment, cold air cir culating means including a fan in said compartment, refrigerating coils arranged adjacent the point of discharge from said fan and a vent leading exteriorly from said compartment for discharging condensate collected upon said coils, said I cold air circulating means having an air inlet comopening into said storage compartment, one course of said path extending lengthwise of said syrup rail, and another extending substantially parallel therewith, the partition wall between said courses having a series of openings arranged therein directed toward said syrup rail, a fan for producing circulation of air along said closed path and cooling coils for cooling said air and removing moisture therefrom, whereby air flowing along said path is first cooled and dehydrated before being directed along said path and towards said syrup rail, thereby to inhibit the. condensation of moisture or the formation of frost in the course leading through said syrup rail.

7. In a fountain fixture, having a storagecompartment and a syrup rail, the combination therewith of a conduit defining a closed path for air, opening into said storage compartment, one course of said path ext-ending lengthwise of said syrup rail, and another extending substantially parallel therewith, the partition wall between said courses having a series of openings arranged therein directed towards said syrup rail and being arranged in predetermined sequence and pattern, a fan for producing circulation of air along said closed path, and cooling coil for cooling said air and removing moisture therefrom, whereby air flowing along said path is first cooled and dehydrated before being directed along said path and towards said syrup rail, thereby to inhibit the condensation of moisture or the formation of frost in the course leading through said syrup rail.

8. In a fountain fixture, the combination of a syrup rail, 9. storage compartment, cold air circulating means including a fan in said compartment, refrigerating coils arranged adjacent the point of discharge from said fan and a vent leading exteriorly from said compartment for discharging condensate collected upon said coils, said cold air circulating means having an air inlet communicating with said compartment, an air duct having communication with said cold air circulating means for distributing cold and dehydrated air to the syrup rail, and an air return duct placing the syrup rail in communication with said compartment.

9. In a fountain fixture, the combination of a municating with said compartment, an air duct having communication with said means for distributing cold and dehydrated air to the syrup rail, and an air return duct placing said syrup rail in communication with said compartment, said duct joining said compartment at a point adjacent the bottom of the latter.

11. In a fountain fixture, the combination of a syrup rail, a storage compartment, cold air circulating means including a fan in said compartment, refrigerating coils arranged adjacent the point of discharge from said fan, and a vent leading exteriorly from said compartment for discharging condensate collected upon said coils, said cold air circulating means having an air inlet communicating with said compartment, an air duct having communication with said cold air circulating means for distributing cold air to the syrup rail, and an air return duct placing the syrup rail in communication with said compartment, said first mentioned air duct being provided with air passing openings spaced one from the other throughout the length of said air duct and communicating with the syrup rail.

12. In a fountain fixture, the combination of a syrup rail, a storage compartment, cold air circulating means having an air inlet communicating with said compartment, an air duct having communication with said cold air circulating means for distributing cold and dehydrated air to the syrup rail, and an air return duct placing the syrup rail in communication with said compartment, said first mentioned air duct being contoured in the nature of a right triangle in crosssection with the longer side of the triangle constitutingone wall of said syrup rail, said wall having openings extending therethrough communicating with said syrup rail.

EMERY E. WILSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

